Free-to-Air dish setup & Channelmaster 1.2m dish

[jreads]

Hi there,
I'm setting up a Free-to-Air satellite dish using a Channelmaster dish that I just bought from Dow Electronics. I hadn't found this site yet. I bought the receive only Ku band 1.2 m dish (I know it's overkill on the East coast) and a digital LNB.

I don't think there is any real difference between analog and digital LNBs, is there? Their salesperson was someone who had no idea if the LNB was universal or not, just had a part number for an "analog" and a "digital." I suspect that both of them are universal LNBs.

My first surprise (I'm a newbie) was that the LNB wasn't the feedhorn. It's the square box that connects to the ?feedhorn? and the coax cable. And it has a clear plastic window on the end that connects to whatever it connects to with what looks like a wave guide in it. The dish itself hasn't arrived --it's coming by truck --so I don't know if it will have the feedhorn or whether I have to call them back and order one. I suspect that the feedhorn is part of that "receive only" specification since the dish itself couldn't care less if it's receiving or sending too.

1.2 meter dishes are a real pain to pick up in the Continental US. I had a real time trying to find one, then trying to find the vendor.

I haven't gotten the receiver yet for the setup.

I realize that all of this seems very nebulous. I think that I need a few folks who know what they're doing with dishes to talk to. It's not my field.
--AJ Reads

 

[PSB]

Good Luck, please keep us all upto date with the installation, it sounds like its going to be a lot of FUN!

 

[jreads]

Feedhorn in box

Well, my guess that the feedhorn would be in the dish shipment was correct. It is there according to the packing slip.

Now, I think I have to choose a receiver for Free-to-air. We have a Dish network dish setup so maybe I can scan for the test channel with that? If we can get the test channel broadcast, it should work, right?

I'm not sure if I can pick up free-to-air channels with that Dish Network receiver, though. Anyone have a clue about that?

And thanks, I'll keep you posted. If this dish works, at least we'll never worry about rain fade again.
--AJ

 

[PSB]

Clue? Me? You should get a few FTA channels from the Dishnetwork satellites, and you can use your Dish receiver to help you aim your dish at the Dishnetwork satellites, but you really need a blind search FTA ku band receiver now, again make sure its DiSEqC 1.2 if you ever intend to motorise, I am sure you do with such a fine dish, its right on the size limit for a smaller motor but should work well, keep us filled in, thanks!